Photo: VCF

To raise the spirits of the children at Tam Duc Hospital, Walmart volunteers organized a pretend supermarket for the children to play in.

All the children in the department came to the playground to participate in the games. The volunteers instructed the children to take the roles of cashiers, shoppers, and helpers in the supermarkets. The children enjoyed the roleplay so much that they almost forgot about their disease, pain, and anxiety. Besides the roleplay, Walmart also restocked the department's bookshelf with dozens of new fairy tale, science, and coloring books for the children to read and play with.

Walmart also prepared 100 gifts and gave them to all of the children in the Children's Heart Department.

In Vietnam, about 16,000 babies are born every year with congenital heart defects, of which 7,500 cases need medical intervention, according to research conducted by The VinaCapital Foundation.

Defects such as atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect, and Tetralogy of Fallot had high risks a decade ago but can now be cured.

Many children in rural areas have few chances for cardiac diagnosis and consultancy, which results in life-threatening complications.

Founded in 2007, VCF’s grassroots medical programs include Heartbeat Vietnam and Outreach Clinics - designed to locate disadvantaged children with congenital heart defects and other non-communicable diseases in even the remotest areas and provide access to quality healthcare.

Medical capacity building programs are partnerships with the Ministry of Health and include Critical Response emergency care – pediatric advanced life support training & emergency equipment, and Survive to Thrive – building capacity for neonatal care./.